Christmas Eve so far

[pne]

Stella made a really nice three-course meal on the occasion: it wasn't ready until four but the wait was well worth it.

First, a vegetable soup with some little shell-shaped noodles in it. The main course was red cabbage and potatoes (croquettes for Stella and Amy) with meat and gravy, and there was a peach-flavoured dessert in little glasses. Yummy, most of it.

In the evening, we read what Germans call "the Christmas story" (the beginning of chapter 2 of the Gospel according to St. Luke) in English and German (with an old Luther translation for German since I think it sounds more "Biblical") and listened to Christmas music.

Presents will under the tree tomorrow morning, in the Anglo-American style; I rather like that arrangement, for several reasons (not only because it's what I'm used to). One of those reasons is that it frees up Christmas Eve to be a more sedate and (hopefully) spiritual time.

Stella got her period again this weekend—her first period in two years, if you don't count about six weeks of lochia postpartum. The benefits of breastfeeding a child :) Stella certainly wasn't complaining that Aunt Flo hadn't come by earlier.

Comments

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

I love any description of Christmas Eve dinner that makes Blaukohl the main attraction and the meat a simple side dish not worthy of description. ("It was dead animal. What else do you need to know?")

Meanwhile, I've been looking up Hannukah brachos to read at my Jewish stepmother's potato pancake feast this evening. I like the idea of reading the Biblical Christmas story as well, but I'm not sure we could get the boys to sit still for it. Maybe if we reenacted the Slaughter of the Holy Innocents?

[pne.livejournal.com]

"Rotkohl", you heathen, not "Blaukohl"!

Ah, the joys of regional variation in nomenclature

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

Nee, du Narr, dat is rude Kappes!

[pne.livejournal.com]

BTW, interestingly, not only have I never heard of "Blaukohl" before, neither has Wikipedia (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotkohl). (Both of us know of the word "Blaukraut", though.)

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

What did we ever do before Wikipedia? Oh, yeah--we looked things up in real encyclopedias (http://www.brockhaus.de/brockhaus-suche/index_werke.php?rd=/brockhaus-suche/werke/b15/010/977/Blaukohl.10977700.html)!

[entirelysonja.livejournal.com]

I haven't had my period yet, and I'm kind of ambivalent about it. We're not doing anything to prevent pregnancy, but I have mixed feelings about having another child so soon. (Since I'm 35, it seems wise to allow nature to take its course, but that doesn't mean I don't feel conflicted about it anyway. :-)

[pne.livejournal.com]

We're not doing anything to prevent pregnancy, but I have mixed feelings about having another child so soon.

Same here, really -- so she was a bit relieved when it came.

[pleiades829.livejournal.com]

Wow, I sure hope that I can go that long before I get my period. I'm rather nervous about its return.

Sounds like a lovely Christmas Eve!

[pne.livejournal.com]

It was! Though I wouldn't have had the patience for much more :)

This morning, we led Amy into the living room with the lit-up Christmas tree; presents for her were on the lower branches and she picked them out, a bit tentatively.

After she got into the feel of things, she seemed really happy and excited!

Best of all seemed to be the books she got, though; she wanted those read to her several times. (A touchy-feely book with bits of sandpaper, velvet, plastic etc., and a small book with a translation of a Rudyard Kipling poem illustrated.)

[elgrande.livejournal.com]

You didn't go to church?

[pne.livejournal.com]

No - our congregation didn't have a service on Christmas Eve this year.

I don't think they've ever had them, here; in the place where I lived before I moved here, though, they introduced it at one point (and apparently still do so, regardless of the day of the week Christmas Eve falls on).

I presume it's up to the discretion of the local bishop whether to have something on Christmas Eve or not; regular services are only on Sunday, though. (Same for Easter, for example - I've only heard of Sunday services, not, say, Friday evening ones.)